Methods, systems, and media for indicating viewership of a video based on context

ABSTRACT

Methods, systems, and media for indicating viewership of a video are provided. In some embodiments, the method comprises: identifying a video; identifying a group of users connected to a first user of a user device; determining, for each user in the group of users, an affinity score, wherein the affinity score indicates an interaction of the user with the identified video; receiving a request to present, on the user device, a page that includes an indication of the video; in response to receiving the request, determining contextual information related to the request; identifying a subset of users in the group of users connected to the first user based on the affinity score associated with each user and the contextual information; and causing a group of indicators corresponding to the subset of users to be presented on the user device in connection with the indication of the video.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/700,969, filed Sep. 11, 2017, which is a continuation of U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 15/086,932, filed Mar. 31, 2016, each of which ishereby incorporated by reference herein in its entirety.

TECHNICAL FIELD

The disclosed subject matter relates to methods, systems, and media forindicating viewership of a video based on context.

BACKGROUND

Many users browse video sharing sites to find and watch a video. Forexample, a user may browse a listing of available videos, and thelisting may include the title of the video, a genre of the video, andother information. It can be difficult for the user to determine whetherthey are likely to enjoy the video. However, knowing that friends of theuser have watched the video or liked the video can allow the user todecide that they are likely to enjoy the video.

Accordingly, it is desirable to provide methods, systems, and media forindicating viewership of a video based on context.

SUMMARY

Methods, systems, and media for indicating viewership of a video basedon context are provided. In accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter, a method for indicating viewership of a videois provided, the method comprising: identifying a video from a pluralityof videos; identifying a group of users connected to a first user of auser device; determining, for each user in the group of users, anaffinity score, wherein the affinity score indicates an interaction ofthe user with the identified video; receiving a request to present, onthe user device, a page that includes an indication of the video; inresponse to receiving the request, determining contextual informationrelated to the request; identifying a subset of users in the group ofusers connected to the first user based on the affinity score associatedwith each user and the contextual information; and causing a group ofindicators corresponding to the subset of users to be presented on theuser device in connection with the indication of the video.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, asystem for indicating viewership of a video is provided, the systemcomprising: a hardware processor that is programmed to: identify a videofrom a plurality of videos; identify a group of users connected to afirst user of a user device; determine, for each user in the group ofusers, an affinity score, wherein the affinity score indicates aninteraction of the user with the identified video; receive a request topresent, on the user device, a page that includes an indication of thevideo; in response to receiving the request, determine contextualinformation related to the request; identify a subset of users in thegroup of users connected to the first user based on the affinity scoreassociated with each user and the contextual information; and cause agroup of indicators corresponding to the subset of users to be presentedon the user device in connection with the indication of the video.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, anon-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for indicating viewership of a video is provided. Themethod comprises: identifying a video from a plurality of videos;identifying a group of users connected to a first user of a user device;determining, for each user in the group of users, an affinity score,wherein the affinity score indicates an interaction of the user with theidentified video; receiving a request to present, on the user device, apage that includes an indication of the video; in response to receivingthe request, determining contextual information related to the request;identifying a subset of users in the group of users connected to thefirst user based on the affinity score associated with each user and thecontextual information; and causing a group of indicators correspondingto the subset of users to be presented on the user device in connectionwith the indication of the video.

In accordance with some embodiments of the disclosed subject matter, asystem for indicating viewership of a video is provided, the systemcomprising: means for identifying a video from a plurality of videos;means for identifying a group of users connected to a first user of auser device; means for determining, for each user in the group of users,an affinity score, wherein the affinity score indicates an interactionof the user with the identified video; means for receiving a request topresent, on the user device, a page that includes an indication of thevideo; in response to receiving the request, means for determiningcontextual information related to the request; means for identifying asubset of users in the group of users connected to the first user basedon the affinity score associated with each user and the contextualinformation; and means for causing a group of indicators correspondingto the subset of users to be presented on the user device in connectionwith the indication of the video.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for ranking theusers in the subset of users, wherein an order of indicators within thegroup of indicators is determined based on the ranking.

In some embodiments, the affinity score further indicates an interest ofthe user in a topic associated with the identified video.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises means for determining,for each user in the group of users, a second affinity score, whereinthe second affinity score indicates a strength of a relationship betweenthe user and the first user of the user device, and wherein identifyingthe subset of users is based at least in part on the second affinityscore.

In some embodiments, the contextual information indicates a navigationhistory on the user device, wherein the navigation history indicates apage viewed prior to receiving the request to present the page thatincludes the indication of the video.

In some embodiments, the system further comprises: means fordetermining, based on the navigation history, that the request topresent the page that includes the indication of the video was receivedbased on a selection of an endorsement by a second user of theidentified video; and means for causing the second user to be includedin the subset of users.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

Various objects, features, and advantages of the disclosed subjectmatter can be more fully appreciated with reference to the followingdetailed description of the disclosed subject matter when considered inconnection with the following drawings, in which like reference numeralsidentify like elements.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a user interface for indicating viewership ofa video based on context in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 2 shows a schematic diagram of an illustrative system suitable forimplementation of mechanisms described herein for indicating viewershipof a video based on context in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter.

FIG. 3 shows a detailed example of hardware that can be used in a serverand/or a user device of FIG. 2 in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosed subject matter.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a process for indicating viewership of avideo based on context in accordance with some embodiments of thedisclosed subject matter.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

In accordance with various embodiments, mechanisms (which can includemethods, systems, and media) for indicating viewership of a video basedon context are provided.

In some embodiments, the mechanisms described herein can causeindications of viewers who have previously viewed, endorsed, shared,and/or received suggestions to view a particular video to be presentedto a first user. For example, in some embodiments, the viewershipindicators can be presented on a page that includes an identifier of thevideo (e.g., a thumbnail image associated with the video, and/or anyother suitable type of identifier of the video). In some embodiments,the page can include a listing of several videos, for example, to allowthe first user to browse the listing of videos. Additionally oralternatively, in some embodiments, the page can correspond to a watchpage for the video, for example, a page that includes a video playerwindow in which the video is presented.

In some embodiments, the viewers can correspond to connections of thefirst user, such as those who are directly connected to the first useron a social networking service, belong to the same group on a socialnetworking service, and/or have any other suitable connection to thefirst user. In some embodiments, the indications can include a name ofthe viewer and/or an image representing the viewer, and the indicationscan be presented in connection with an identifier of the particularvideo, thereby allowing the first user browsing the list of videos toquickly identify friends who have watched and/or endorsed the video.

In some embodiments, the mechanisms can identify the viewers associatedwith the presented indications based on any suitable information. Forexample, in some embodiments, the viewers can be identified based on theviewer's interest in the particular video, the viewer's interest in atopic related to the particular video, and/or based on any othersuitable information. As another example, in some embodiments, theviewers can be identified based on contextual information indicating anavigation history that includes pages visited by the first user priorto visiting the page that includes the viewership indicators. As a moreparticular example, in instances where the first user navigates to apage associated with the video from an indication of an endorsement ofthe video by a second user (e.g., an indication that the second userenjoyed the video, shared the video on a social networking service,commented on the video, and/or endorsed the video in any other suitablemanner), the mechanisms can cause the second user to be included in thegroup of viewers associated with the viewership indicators. As yetanother example, in some embodiments, the viewers can be identifiedbased on a strength of a relationship between the viewer and the firstuser. As a more particular example, in some embodiments, the strength ofthe relationship can be determined based on a number of times the viewerand the first user have interacted (e.g., a number of messages sent in aparticular communication interface, and/or any other suitable metric), afrequency of interaction, a number of shared common interests (e.g., anumber of common interests indicated on a social networking service,and/or any other suitable metric of common interests), a type ofconnection on a social networking service, and/or any other suitableinformation. In some embodiments, the mechanisms can identify theviewers and/or rank the viewers based on any suitable combination ofinformation.

Note that, although the mechanisms described herein relate to indicatingviewership of a video, in some embodiments, the mechanisms can be usedto indicate viewership of any suitable type of media content, such asaudio content (e.g., music, radio programs, audiobooks, and/or any othersuitable type of audio content), television programs, movies, livestreaming media content, electronic books, and/or any other suitabletype of media content.

Turning to FIG. 1, an example 100 of a user interface for indicatingviewership of a video is shown in accordance with some embodiments ofthe disclosed subject matter. As illustrated, user interface 100 caninclude video thumbnails 102 and 104 and groups of user indicators 106and 108.

Video thumbnails 102 and 104 can correspond to any suitable videos andcan indicate any suitable information about the videos. For example, asshown in FIG. 1, in some embodiments, video thumbnails 102 and 104 canindicate a title of the video and can include an image representing thevideo (e.g., a screen capture from the video, an image representing acreator of the video, and/or any other suitable image). In someembodiments, video thumbnails 102 and 104 can include any other suitableinformation, such as a creator of the video, a date associated with thevideo, a number of times the video has been viewed, and/or any othersuitable information.

In some embodiments, video thumbnails 102 and 104 can be presented basedon any suitable information. For example, in some embodiments, videothumbnails 102 and 104 can be presented on a page suitable for browsinga collection of videos, where each video thumbnail indicates anavailable video. As a more particular example, in some embodiments, thepage can correspond to a particular channel or category of media content(e.g., media content associated with a particular creator, televisionchannel, music group, and/or any other suitable entity). As anotherexample, in some embodiments, video thumbnails 102 and/or 104 can bepresented in a message (e.g., a message posted on a social networkingsite) and/or an online chat. As a more particular example, videothumbnails 102 and/or 104 can be included in a message and/or chat whena user includes a link to a corresponding video in the message and/orchat comment. Note that, although two video thumbnails are shown in FIG.1, in some embodiments, any suitable number (e.g., zero, one, five,and/or any other suitable number) can be included.

Groups of user indicators 106 and 108 can each include one or more userindicators, such as user indicators 110 and 112. In some embodiments, agroup of user indicators can indicate users who have previously viewedand endorsed the video corresponding to the video thumbnail (e.g., groupof user indicators 106). Additionally or alternatively, in someembodiments, a group of user indicators can indicate users with whom theuser viewing user interface 100 may want to share the correspondingvideo (e.g., group of user indicators 108). Note that, although onegroup of user indicators is shown in connection with each videothumbnail, in some embodiments, any suitable number of groups of userindicators (e.g., zero, one, two, five, and/or any other suitablenumber) can be included.

As described below in connection with FIG. 4, users corresponding to theuser indicators presented in user interface 100 can be selected based onany suitable information or combination of information. For example, insome embodiments, the users can be selected based on a determinedaffinity for the video (e.g., based on whether the user has shared,and/or endorsed the video, based on whether the user has shared and/orendorsed a related video, and/or based on any other suitableinformation) and/or a determined affinity for a topic related to thevideo (e.g., based on whether the user has expressed interested in thetopic, whether the user has previously watched other videos related tothe video, and/or based on any other suitable information). As anotherexample, in some embodiments, the users can be selected based oncontextual information, such as a navigation history indicating pagesvisited prior to a page associated with user interface 100. As a moreparticular example, in some embodiments, a particular user can beincluded in the group of indicators if it is determined that the pageassociated with user interface 100 was navigated to based on selectionof an indication of endorsement of the video by the particular user onanother page, as described below in connection with block 410 of FIG. 4.As yet another example, in some embodiments, the users can be determinedbased on a strength of a relationship between the users and a viewer ofuser interface 100. In some embodiments, the information can be combinedin any suitable manner to select the users and/or to rank the users topresent the user indicators in any suitable order or visual manner, asdescribed below in connection with block 412 of FIG. 4.

Note that, in some embodiments, rather than being presented in a pagesuitable for browsing videos (e.g., as in user interface 100 of FIG. 1),the user indicators can be presented in a watch page associated with aparticular video. For example, in some embodiments, the watch page canbe one in which the particular video is presented in a video playerwindow. In some such embodiments, the user indicators can be presentedadjacent to the video player window, and/or in any other suitablelocation.

Turning to FIG. 2, an example 200 of hardware for indicating viewershipof a video based on context that can be used in accordance with someembodiments of the disclosed subject matter is shown. As illustrated,hardware 200 can include one or more servers such as a data server 202,a communication network 204, and/or one or more user devices 206, suchas user devices 208 and 210.

In some embodiments, data server 202 can be any suitable server forstoring information relating to users who have viewed a video, users whohave endorsed a video, users who have tagged a connection to view avideo, and/or any other suitable information. In some embodiments, dataserver 202 can use the stored information to create indications of userswho have viewed, endorsed, and/or recommended a particular video. Forexample, in some embodiments, the indications can be presented to afirst user, for example, if the first user is browsing a list of videos.In some such embodiments, the users who have viewed, endorsed, and/orrecommended the particular video can be friends of the first user. Insome embodiments, data server 202 can additionally maintain any suitablelists and/or graphs of relationships between users that can be used tocreate the indications of users who have viewed, endorsed, and/orrecommended the video. In some embodiments, data server 202 can identifyconnections of the first user based on a strength of a relationshipbetween the first user and the connection, a browsing history of thefirst user, shared interests between the first user and the connection,and/or any other suitable information, as described below in connectionwith FIG. 4. In some embodiments, data server 202 can be omitted.

Communication network 204 can be any suitable combination of one or morewired and/or wireless networks in some embodiments. For example,communication network 206 can include any one or more of the Internet,an intranet, a wide-area network (WAN), a local-area network (LAN), awireless network, a digital subscriber line (DSL) network, a frame relaynetwork, an asynchronous transfer mode (ATM) network, a virtual privatenetwork (VPN), and/or any other suitable communication network. Userdevices 206 can be connected by one or more communications links 212 tocommunication network 204 that can be linked via one or morecommunications links (e.g., communications link 214) to data server 202.Communications links 212 and/or 214 can be any communications linkssuitable for communicating data among user devices 206 and server 202such as network links, dial-up links, wireless links, hard-wired links,any other suitable communications links, or any suitable combination ofsuch links.

In some embodiments, user devices 206 can include one or more computingdevices suitable for browsing a listing of videos, viewing a video,viewing recommendations of videos, and/or any other suitable functions.For example, in some embodiments, user devices 206 can be implemented asa mobile device, such as a smartphone, mobile phone, a tablet computer,a laptop computer, a vehicle (e.g., a car, a boat, an airplane, or anyother suitable vehicle) entertainment system, a portable media player,and/or any other suitable mobile device. As another example, in someembodiments, user devices 206 can be implemented as a non-mobile devicesuch as a desktop computer, a set-top box, a television, a streamingmedia player, a game console, and/or any other suitable non-mobiledevice.

Although data server 202 is illustrated as one device, the functionsperformed by data server 202 can be performed using any suitable numberof devices in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments,multiple devices can be used to implement the functions performed bydata server 202.

Although two user devices 208 and 210 are shown in FIG. 2, any suitablenumber of user devices, and/or any suitable types of user devices, canbe used in some embodiments.

Data server 202 and user devices 206 can be implemented using anysuitable hardware in some embodiments. For example, in some embodiments,devices 202 and 206 can be implemented using any suitable generalpurpose computer or special purpose computer. For example, a server maybe implemented using a special purpose computer. Any such generalpurpose computer or special purpose computer can include any suitablehardware. For example, as illustrated in example hardware 300 of FIG. 3,such hardware can include hardware processor 302, memory and/or storage304, an input device controller 306, an input device 308, display/audiodrivers 310, display and audio output circuitry 312, communicationinterface(s) 314, an antenna 316, and a bus 318.

Hardware processor 302 can include any suitable hardware processor, suchas a microprocessor, a micro-controller, digital signal processor(s),dedicated logic, and/or any other suitable circuitry for controlling thefunctioning of a general purpose computer or a special purpose computerin some embodiments. In some embodiments, hardware processor 302 can becontrolled by a server program stored in memory and/or storage 304 of aserver (e.g., such as server 202). For example, the server program cancause hardware processor 302 to store indications of users who haveviewed, endorsed, and/or recommended a video, present an indication ofconnections of a user who have viewed, endorsed, and/or recommended thevideo, and/or perform any other suitable actions. In some embodiments,hardware processor 302 can be controlled by a computer program stored inmemory and/or storage 304 of user device 206. For example, the computerprogram can cause hardware processor 302 to present indications of userswho have viewed, endorsed, and/or recommended a video, and/or performany other suitable actions.

Memory and/or storage 304 can be any suitable memory and/or storage forstoring programs, data, media content, advertisements, and/or any othersuitable information in some embodiments. For example, memory and/orstorage 304 can include random access memory, read-only memory, flashmemory, hard disk storage, optical media, and/or any other suitablememory.

Input device controller 306 can be any suitable circuitry forcontrolling and receiving input from one or more input devices 308 insome embodiments. For example, input device controller 306 can becircuitry for receiving input from a touchscreen, from a keyboard, froma mouse, from one or more buttons, from a voice recognition circuit,from a microphone, from a camera, from an optical sensor, from anaccelerometer, from a temperature sensor, from a near field sensor,and/or any other type of input device.

Display/audio drivers 310 can be any suitable circuitry for controllingand driving output to one or more display/audio output devices 312 insome embodiments. For example, display/audio drivers 310 can becircuitry for driving a touchscreen, a flat-panel display, a cathode raytube display, a projector, a speaker or speakers, and/or any othersuitable display and/or presentation devices.

Communication interface(s) 314 can be any suitable circuitry forinterfacing with one or more communication networks, such as network 204as shown in FIG. 2. For example, interface(s) 314 can include networkinterface card circuitry, wireless communication circuitry, and/or anyother suitable type of communication network circuitry.

Antenna 316 can be any suitable one or more antennas for wirelesslycommunicating with a communication network (e.g., communication network204) in some embodiments. In some embodiments, antenna 316 can beomitted.

Bus 318 can be any suitable mechanism for communicating between two ormore components 302, 304, 306, 310, and 314 in some embodiments.

Any other suitable components can be included in hardware 300 inaccordance with some embodiments.

Turning to FIG. 4, an example 400 of a process for presenting indicatorsof viewership of a video based on context is shown in accordance withsome embodiments of the disclosed subject matter. In some embodiments,blocks of process 400 can be implemented on data server 202 and/or userdevice 206.

Process 400 can begin by identifying a particular video at 402 for whichindicators of viewership are to be presented. Process 400 can identifythe video using any suitable technique(s) and based on any suitableinformation. For example, in some embodiments, the video can be oneincluded in a video sharing service home page presented to a particularuser authenticated with a corresponding user account. As a moreparticular example, in some embodiments, the video can be associatedwith a collection of media content that the user has subscribed to, avideo that was shared with a user (e.g., in a comment associated with apost on a social networking service, included in a message to the user,and/or shared in any other suitable manner), a video that is recommendedfor the user based on previously viewed content, a video that has beendetermined to be a currently popular video (e.g., has received more thana predetermined number of views within a recent time period, and/oridentified using any other suitable popularity metrics), and/or anyother suitable video.

Process 400 can identify a group of users connected to a first user of auser device at 404. Each user in the group of users can be connected tothe first user directly or indirectly. For example, in some embodiments,users who are directly connected may be direct connections on anysuitable social networking service, have directly exchanged messagesthrough any suitable communication interface (e.g., an instant messaginginterface, e-mail, and/or any other suitable communication interface),and/or be directly connected in any other suitable manner. As anotherexample, users who are indirectly connected may both belong to the samegroup on a social networking service, both be subscribed to the samechannel of media content on a video sharing service, have a directconnection in common with both users, and/or be indirectly connected inany other suitable manner. Process 400 can identify the group of usersconnected to the first user using any suitable technique or combinationof techniques. For example, in some embodiments, process 400 canidentify direct connections of the user on multiple networking platforms(e.g., one or more communication interfaces, social networking services,video sharing services, and/or any other suitable networking platforms).As another example, in some embodiments, process 400 can identifyindirect connections and/or suggested connections by identifying groupsthe first user belongs to, connections separated from the first user byany suitable degree on a networking platform, and/or based on any othersuitable information.

At 406, for each user in the group of users, process 400 can determinean affinity score for the user and the video identified at block 402.Process 400 can determine the affinity score based on any suitableinformation and using any suitable technique(s). For example, in someembodiments, the affinity score can be based on whether the user hasviewed the video, has shared the video (e.g., in a social networkingpost), has subscribed to a collection of media content associated withthe video, has endorsed a collection of media content associated withthe video, has commented on the video, has viewed other videosdetermined to be similar (e.g., created by the same entity, related to asimilar topic, and/or similar in any other suitable manner) to theidentified video, and/or has interacted with the video in any othersuitable manner. In instances where the user has interacted with thevideo in multiple instances (e.g., commented on the video and endorsedthe video), process 400 can weigh the interactions in any suitablemanner to calculate the affinity score based on the multipleinteractions. For example, in some embodiments, endorsements can beweighed more heavily than viewing content, sharing content can beweighed more heavily than commenting on content, etc. Note that, in someembodiments, multiple affinity scores can be calculated for each ofmultiple types of interaction, and, in some such embodiments, eachaffinity score can be a Boolean value. For example, in some embodiments,an affinity score indicating whether the user has endorsed contentassociated with the channel of media content or the video can be aBoolean value, where a value of “true” indicates that the user hasendorsed the content and a value of “false” indicates that the user hasnot endorsed the content. Note that, in some embodiments, the affinityscore between a user and a video can indicate a particular category theuser belong to with respect to the video, such as a relatively highaffinity for the video (e.g., the user is likely to enjoy the video), arelatively low affinity for the video (e.g., the user is unlikely toenjoy the video and/or it is unknown whether the user is likely to enjoythe video), and/or any other suitable categories.

In some embodiments, Process 400 can store the affinity score(s) in anysuitable location, for example, in memory 304 of data server 202. As amore particular example, in some embodiments, the affinity score(s) canbe stored in a cache within memory 304 of data server 202. In some suchembodiments, the affinity score(s) can be stored in the cache for anysuitable time period (e.g., a day, a week, a month, and/or any othersuitable time period).

Note that, in some embodiments, process 400 can repeat blocks 402-406for any suitable videos and can store the determined affinity score(s)for later use. For example, in some embodiments, the determined affinityscore(s) can be retrieved in response to receiving a request to presenta page that includes an indicator of a particular video, as describedbelow.

At 408, process 400 can receive a request to present, on the user deviceassociated with the first user, a group of viewership indicatorscorresponding to the video identified at block 402. Process 400 canreceive the request based on any suitable action(s). For example, insome embodiments, process 400 can receive the request in response to adetermination that the user has navigated to a particular page on theuser device. As a more particular example, the page can include a homepage corresponding to a user account of the user on a video sharingservice or social networking service, a page corresponding to aparticular collection of media content or a particular video (e.g., thecollection of media content or the video described above in connectionwith block 402), and/or any other suitable page.

Process 400 can determine contextual information related to the requestto present the group of viewership indicators at 410. For example, insome embodiments, the contextual information can indicate a type of pageon which the group of viewership indicators are to be presented. As amore particular example, the type of page can indicate content to bepresented on a page the user device navigated to, as described above inconnection with block 408. As a specific example, the page cancorrespond to a particular channel of media content and/or any othersuitable collection of media content. As another specific example, thepage can correspond to a home page of a video sharing service. As yetanother specific example, the page can correspond to a post on a socialnetworking service.

As another example, in some embodiments, the contextual information canindicate navigation history indicating a manner in which the page onwhich the viewership indicators are to be presented was reached. As amore particular example, in some embodiments, the navigation history canindicate that the user device navigated to a page for presenting thevideo from an endorsement of the video by a second user connected to thefirst user. In some embodiments, the endorsement can include a commenton the video, sharing the video in a post on a social networkingservice, selecting an icon indicating the second user enjoyed the video,and/or any other suitable type of endorsement. As another moreparticular example, in some embodiments, the navigation history canindicate that the user navigated to the page from a page indicating acollection of media content created by a second user connected to thefirst user. In some embodiments, the collection of media content caninclude a channel of media content that includes media content relatedto a particular topic and/or created by a particular entity, acollection of media content aggregated by the second user, and/or anyother suitable collection of media content.

Note that, in some embodiments, the navigation history can indicatepreviously viewed pages and/or previous actions leading to the currentrequest to present the group of viewership indicators in any suitablemanner. For example, in some embodiments, the navigation history caninclude one or more source identifiers, where each source identifierindicates a previously viewed page. In some embodiments, each sourceidentifier can include information such as a Universal Resource Locator(URL) associated with the page, a domain name associated with the page,and/or any other suitable information. In some embodiments, the sourceidentifier can additionally or alternatively indicate user actions. Forexample, in some embodiments, the source identifier can indicate that anicon indicating a user's endorsement of content was selected, and therequest received at block 408 was transmitted in response to the iconbeing selected on the user device.

At 412, process 400 can select a subset of users out of the group ofusers based on the users' affinity for the video determined at block 406and the contextual information determined at block 410. Process 400 canselect the subset of users based on any suitable information related tothe user's affinity for the video and/or the contextual information. Forexample, in some embodiments, process 400 can select the subset of usersbased on each user's interest in the video and/or a topic related to thevideo. As a more particular example, in some embodiments, process 400can include users in the subset of users who are determined to beinterested in a topic related to the video based on videos the user haspreviously viewed, groups the user belong to on a social networkingservice, collections of media content the user has subscribed to, othervideos the user has interacted with (e.g., commented on, shared,endorsed, and/or interacted with in any other suitable manner), and/orbased on any other suitable information. In some embodiments, process400 can determine that previously viewed content and/or groups the userbelongs to are related to the video based on any suitable information,such as metadata associated with the content and/or the video, titlesassociated with the content and/or groups, names of creators of thepreviously viewed content, and/or any other suitable information. Insome embodiments, process 400 can select the users in the subset bysorting the users in the group of users based on the affinity score(s)calculated at block 406 and then selecting the top N (e.g., two, five,ten, and/or any other suitable number) users.

As another example, in instances where process 400 determines that thevideo was endorsed by a participant in an online conversation (e.g., anonline chat, a comment thread on a post on a social networking service,an e-mail chain, and/or any other suitable type of conversation) in thecontext of the conversation, process 400 can include one or more usersassociated with the conversation in the subset of users. In someembodiments, the video can be determined to be endorsed in the contextof the conversation in any suitable manner. For example, in someembodiments, process 400 can determine that a participant in the onlineconversation included a link to the video, embedded the video in theconversation, selected an icon indicating enjoyment of the video,mentioned enjoying the video, recommended the video to another user,and/or endorsed the conversation in any other suitable manner. In someembodiments, process 400 can cause the one or more users included in theconversation to be ranked higher within the subset of users relative toother users in the subset.

As yet another example, in instances where process 400 determines thatthe video was included in a collection of videos aggregated by a seconduser (e.g., as a playlist of videos, as a channel of media content,and/or aggregated in any other suitable manner), process 400 can includethe second user in the subset of users. In some embodiments, process 400can determine a strength of a relationship between the second user andthe first user prior to including the second user in the subset ofusers. For example, in some embodiments, process 400 can determine thatthe second user is to be included in the subset of users if the seconduser and the first user are directly connected on a social networkingservice. Other examples of information used to determine a strength of arelationship between two users are described in more detail below. Notethat, in instances where the collection of videos was created bymultiple users, process 400 can include any suitable number (e.g., none,one, two, all, and/or any other suitable number) of the multiple usersin the subset of users corresponding to the viewership indicators.

As still another example, in instances where process 400 determines thata collection of media content that includes the video was subscribed toby a particular user and/or endorsed by a particular user, process 400can include the second user in the subset of users. As a more particularexample, in some embodiments, process 400 can determine that the seconduser has endorsed the collection of media content by determining, forexample, that the second user has indicated enjoyment of contentincluded in the collection, has shared the collection of media content(e.g., in a post on a social networking site), has viewed more than apredetermined number of content items included in the collection (e.g.,more than 25%, more than 50%, all of the content items, and/or any othersuitable number or percentage), and/or endorsed the collection of mediacontent in any other suitable manner.

As still another example, in some embodiments, process 400 can selectthe subset of users based on navigation history. As a more particularexample, in instances where the viewership indicators are to bepresented on a page that was navigated to on a user device associatedwith the first user from an endorsement of the video by a second user,process 400 can cause the second user to be included in the subset ofusers. As another more particular example, in instances where theviewership indicators are to be presented on a page that was navigatedto on a user device associated with the first user from a pageassociated with a collection of media content aggregated by a seconduser, process 400 can cause the second user to be included in the subsetof users. In some embodiments, process 400 can cause the second user tobe ranked higher within the subset of users relative to other users inthe subset.

In some embodiments, process 400 can rank the users included in thesubset of users. As described above, in some embodiments, users who aredetermined to be particularly interested in a topic related to the videoand/or videos who have endorsed the video in a particular context can beranked relatively higher in the subset of users relative to other users.Additionally or alternatively, in some embodiments, process 400 can rankthe users included in the subset of users based on any other suitableinformation. For example, in some embodiments, process 400 can rank theusers based on a strength of a relationship between each user in thesubset and the first user associated with the user device. In someembodiments, the strength of the relationship can be determined based onany suitable information, such as a number of messages exchanged withina communication interface (e.g., a number of e-mails, a number ofmessages in an online chat, a number of times one of the users hascommented on a post on a social networking service created by the otheruser, and/or any other suitable metric of number of messages exchanged),a frequency of interaction (e.g., a frequency with which the usersexchange online messages, and/or any other suitable frequency metric), anumber of groups both users belong to, whether the users are directlyconnected on a social networking service (e.g., having indicated theirfriendship, and/or directly connected in any other suitable manner),and/or based on any other suitable information. In some embodiments,process 400 can cause users in the subset of users with a strongerrelationship to the first user to be ranked relatively higher within thesubset of users. In some embodiments, process 400 can combineinformation indicating the strength of the relationship with informationindicating a user's interest in the video (e.g., as described above inconnection with block 406) and/or contextual information related to therequest to present the page (e.g., as described above in connection withblock 410) in any other suitable manner.

In some embodiments, the subset of users can include any suitable number(e.g., two, five, ten, twenty, and/or any other suitable number) ofusers. In some embodiments, process 400 can use rankings of the userswithin the subset of users to reduce the subset of users to apredetermined number.

Note that, in some embodiments, the subset of users can be selected onany suitable device, such as data server 202 and/or user device 206. Ininstances where the subset of users is selected by user device 206,information used to select the subset of users can be transmitted touser device 206, for example, by data server 202. For example, in someembodiments, the information received by user device 206 can include thecontextual information, user affinity scores, and/or any other suitableinformation. As a more particular example, in some embodiments, thereceived information can include navigation history as described abovein connection with block 410, an indication of a group of users who aredetermined to have a relatively high affinity for the video and/or atopic associated with the video, and/or any other suitable information.

Process 400 can cause user indicators corresponding to the users in thesubset of users to be presented on the user device associated with thefirst user at 414. In some embodiments, process 400 can cause the userindicators to be presented based on a ranking of the users within thesubset of users. For example, in some embodiments, user indicatorscorresponding to users ranked more highly within the subset of users canbe presented in a more prominent position in the group of userindicators (e.g., at the top of the group, at the left-most edge of thegroup, and/or in any other suitable position). As another example, insome embodiments, user indicators corresponding to the top N (e.g., one,two, and/or any other suitable number) users in the subset of users canbe presented with a different visual appearance (e.g., highlighted, in alarger size and/or font, and/or in any other suitable manner) relativeto other user indicators in the group of user indicators.

Note that, in some embodiments, the subset of users can be organizedand/or grouped in any suitable manner. For example, in some embodiments,a first group of users within the subset of users can correspond tousers determined to be likely to have an interest in the video (e.g.,determined based on an affinity score as described above in connectionwith block 406). As another example, in some embodiments, a second groupof users within the subset of users can correspond to users who have notbeen determined to be likely to have an interest in the video but whohave been determined to have a connection with the first user (e.g., arefriends on a social networking site, and/or any other suitable type ofconnection). In some such embodiments, users within each group can befurther ranked within the group. For example, in some embodiments, userswithin the first group of users and the second group of users can beranked (against other users within their respective group) based on thestrength of the relationship of the user with the first user associatedwith the user device. In some embodiments, user indicators correspondingto users in the first group of users can be presented more prominentlythan user indicators corresponding to users in the second group ofusers. For example, in some embodiments, user indicators correspondingto users in the first group of users can be presented before (e.g., tothe left of, on top of, and/or in any other suitable position) userindicators corresponding to users in the second group of users. Asanother example, in some embodiments, user indicators corresponding tousers in the first group of users can be presented with a visualappearance differing from that of user indicators corresponding to usersin the second group of users (e.g., in a different color, with adifferent transparency, and/or in any other suitable manner).

In some embodiments, each user indicator can include any suitableinformation. For example, as shown in FIG. 1, a user indicator canindicate a name and/or a username of the corresponding user and/or animage associated with the user. As another example, in some embodiments,the user indicator can indicate whether the corresponding user iscurrently active on a particular networking platform, and/or any othersuitable information. Note that, in some embodiments, process 400 canadditionally cause information indicating reasons why a particular userwas included in the subset of users used to create the group of userindicators. For example, in some embodiments, the information canindicate that a particular user has watched related videos, a particularuser belongs to a group associated with a topic related to the video, aparticular user endorsed the video, and/or any other suitableinformation.

In some embodiments, at least some of the above described blocks of theprocess of FIG. 4 can be executed or performed in any order or sequencenot limited to the order and sequence shown in and described inconnection with the figures. Also, some of the above blocks of FIG. 4can be executed or performed substantially simultaneously whereappropriate or in parallel to reduce latency and processing times.Additionally or alternatively, some of the above described blocks of theprocess of FIG. 4 can be omitted.

In some embodiments, any suitable computer readable media can be usedfor storing instructions for performing the functions and/or processesherein. For example, in some embodiments, computer readable media can betransitory or non-transitory. For example, non-transitory computerreadable media can include media such as magnetic media (such as harddisks, floppy disks, and/or any other suitable magnetic media), opticalmedia (such as compact discs, digital video discs, Blu-ray discs, and/orany other suitable optical media), semiconductor media (such as flashmemory, electrically programmable read-only memory (EPROM), electricallyerasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), and/or any othersuitable semiconductor media), any suitable media that is not fleetingor devoid of any semblance of permanence during transmission, and/or anysuitable tangible media. As another example, transitory computerreadable media can include signals on networks, in wires, conductors,optical fibers, circuits, any suitable media that is fleeting and devoidof any semblance of permanence during transmission, and/or any suitableintangible media.

In situations in which the systems described herein collect personalinformation about users, or make use of personal information, the usersmay be provided with an opportunity to control whether programs orfeatures collect user information (e.g., information about a user'ssocial network, social actions or activities, profession, a user'spreferences, or a user's current location). In addition, certain datamay be treated in one or more ways before it is stored or used, so thatpersonal information is removed. For example, a user's identity may betreated so that no personal information can be determined for the user,or a user's geographic location may be generalized where locationinformation is obtained (such as to a city, ZIP code, or state level),so that a particular location of a user cannot be determined. Thus, theuser may have control over how information is collected about the userand used by a content server.

Accordingly, methods, systems, and media for indicating viewership of avideo based on context are provided.

Although the invention has been described and illustrated in theforegoing illustrative embodiments, it is understood that the presentdisclosure has been made only by way of example, and that numerouschanges in the details of implementation of the invention can be madewithout departing from the spirit and scope of the invention, which islimited only by the claims that follow. Features of the disclosedembodiments can be combined and rearranged in various ways.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for indicating media content viewership,the method comprising: receiving a request to present a first page on auser device, wherein the first page includes an indication of a mediacontent item and wherein a user account is associated with the userdevice; determining user accounts connected to the user account;determining a navigation history of the user account, wherein thenavigation history indicates a second page associated with at least oneuser account of the user accounts that was previously viewed on the userdevice prior to receiving the request to present the first page;determining whether the at least one user account has interacted withthe media content item based on the navigation history; and in responseto determining that the at least one user account has interacted withthe media content item, causing the first page to be presented on theuser device, wherein the first page includes the indication of the mediacontent item and an indicator of the at least one user account.
 2. Themethod of claim 1, further comprising determining, for each user accountof the user accounts, an affinity score, wherein the affinity scoreindicates an interaction of each user account in the user accounts withthe media content item.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisingdetermining, for the at least one user account of the user accounts, anaffinity score that indicates a strength of a relationship between theat least one user account and the user account of the user device. 4.The method of claim 1, wherein determining whether the at least one useraccount of the user accounts has interacted with the media content itemcomprises determining whether the at least one user account of the useraccounts has endorsed the media content item.
 5. The method of claim 4,wherein determining whether the at least one user account of the useraccounts has endorsed the media content item comprises determiningwhether the at least one user account of the user accounts has sharedthe media content item on a social networking website.
 6. The method ofclaim 1, wherein determining whether the at least one user account ofthe user accounts has interacted with the media content item comprisesdetermining whether the at least one user account of the user accountshas provided a comment on the media content item.
 7. The method of claim1, wherein the indicator of the at least one user account of the useraccounts includes an icon corresponding to the at least one useraccount.
 8. A system for indicating media content viewership, the systemcomprising: a hardware processor that is programmed to: receive arequest to present a first page on a user device, wherein the first pageincludes an indication of a media content item and wherein a useraccount is associated with the user device; determine user accountsconnected to the user account; determine a navigation history of theuser account, wherein the navigation history indicates a second pageassociated with at least one user account of the user accounts that waspreviously viewed on the user device prior to receiving the request topresent the first page; determine whether the at least one user accounthas interacted with the media content item based on the navigationhistory; and in response to determining that the at least one useraccount has interacted with the media content item, cause the first pageto be presented on the user device, wherein the first page includes theindication of the media content item and an indicator of the at leastone user account.
 9. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardwareprocessor is further programmed to determine, for each user account ofthe user accounts, an affinity score, wherein the affinity scoreindicates an interaction of each user account in the user accounts withthe media content item.
 10. The system of claim 8, wherein the hardwareprocessor is further programmed to determine, for the at least one useraccount of the user accounts, an affinity score that indicates astrength of a relationship between the at least one user account and theuser account of the user device.
 11. The system of claim 8, whereindetermining whether the at least one user account of the user accountshas interacted with the media content item comprises determining whetherthe at least one user account of the user accounts has endorsed themedia content item.
 12. The system of claim 11, wherein determiningwhether the at least one user account of the user accounts has endorsedthe media content item comprises determining whether the at least oneuser account of the user accounts has shared the media content item on asocial networking website.
 13. The system of claim 8, whereindetermining whether the at least one user account of the user accountshas interacted with the media content item comprises determining whetherthe at least one user account of the user accounts has provided acomment on the media content item.
 14. The system of claim 8, whereinthe indicator of the at least one user account of the user accountsincludes an icon corresponding to the at least one user account.
 15. Anon-transitory computer-readable medium containing computer executableinstructions that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor toperform a method for indicating media content viewership, the methodcomprising: receiving a request to present a first page on a userdevice, wherein the first page includes an indication of a media contentitem and wherein a user account is associated with the user device;determining user accounts connected to the user account; determining anavigation history of the user account, wherein the navigation historyindicates a second page associated with at least one user account of theuser accounts that was previously viewed on the user device prior toreceiving the request to present the first page; determining whether theat least one user account has interacted with the media content itembased on the navigation history; and in response to determining that theat least one user account has interacted with the media content item,causing the first page to be presented on the user device, wherein thefirst page includes the indication of the media content item and anindicator of the at least one user account.
 16. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising determining,for each user account of the user accounts, an affinity score, whereinthe affinity score indicates an interaction of each user account in theuser accounts with the media content item.
 17. The non-transitorycomputer-readable medium of claim 15, further comprising determining,for the at least one user account of the user accounts, an affinityscore that indicates a strength of a relationship between the at leastone user account and the user account of the user device.
 18. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determiningwhether the at least one user account of the user accounts hasinteracted with the media content item comprises determining whether theat least one user account of the user accounts has endorsed the mediacontent item.
 19. The non-transitory computer-readable medium of claim18, wherein determining whether the at least one user account of theuser accounts has endorsed the media content item comprises determiningwhether the at least one user account of the user accounts has sharedthe media content item on a social networking website.
 20. Thenon-transitory computer-readable medium of claim 15, wherein determiningwhether the at least one user account of the user accounts hasinteracted with the media content item comprises determining whether theat least one user account of the user accounts has provided a comment onthe media content item.
 21. The non-transitory computer-readable mediumof claim 15, wherein the indicator of the at least one user account ofthe user accounts includes an icon corresponding to the at least oneuser account.